Graphic Design: A Cultural Reference to Our Society.
The most powerful graphics are those that speak most to our experiences, the collective narratives of our communities, and the opposition of what society has deemed the norm. But to appreciate Graphic Design pieces is to appreciate the cultural reference it points towards. Colors, typography, and composition don’t mean a thing without a cultural association. In this STS Graphic Design series, learn the deeper meaning of Graphic Design and its greater purpose of relaying complex messages in visual styles specific to its particular era.
In this course, learn the power layout and composition has on Graphic Design pieces, understand how negative spaces create new spaces and messages, and learn how equal distribution of visual weight is often key to make any Graphic Design piece pleasant and appealing to the eye. At the end of the lesson, complete an example project using Adobe Illustrator using the concepts you learned in class.
Graphic Design & Culture
What is Graphic Design?
In its simplest definition, Graphic Design is the combination of graphics, color, and fonts. BUT none of these are powerful until they promote a message relevant to a society, whether that be a group of people, an organization, or the entire world.
EXAMPLE 1: THE STOP SIGN
How do we identify a Stop Sign? How do we know to stop at one?
Through exposure, particular graphics become meaningful. A Stop Sign is found all throughout a city, and society has defined the combination of its different components to mean the following: Stop otherwise there is danger
But what if we were to come across a "Stop Sign" with an orange Curlz MT font instead of the white sans-serif font? Unless it eventually became the norm, we probably wouldn't take the sign so seriously, mostly because we were raised to expect certain features from Stop Signs.
EXAMPLE 2: BATMAN
In the United States, Batman is a well known figure for many people. Whether you grew up with the original comic books, played with Batman action figures, or have merely heard of the films, Batman surely can't be missed or mistaken. Below, you will find three representations of Batman. Notice how they are all different in their own way, yet through consistant colors and shapes, the Batman brand can be recalled. But are colors, shapes, and (sometimes) text really the only way to identify Batman? NO. Rather, the way we can identify such colors, shapes, and text to be associated with Batman is through constant exposure of the character and brand.
Exposure to Culture Grants Us Access To Create.
Even though art does not come naturally to everyone, everyone is still capable of understanding popular cultural references and replicating the techniques used to send a message. Our constant surrounding of graphic design work give us examples of what a project nowadays should look like and contain.
This definition of culture deals with the production of messages and understanding through exposure of particular everyday visuals and styles. This should not, however, be an excuse to steal and profit off cultural realities by marginalized communities, or celebrate stereotypes. Do appreciate, don’t appropriate.
FUN-damentals: Lines, Shapes, and Forms
Watch this Awesome Fundamentals of Design Video
Line
Lines are the connection of any two points which can be straight, jagged, or curvy. In Graphic Design, lines can organize content, make illustrations, or add detail to any work.
Shape
A shape is an enclosed outline of an object composed of intersecting ends of lines. Shapes can be either geometric or organic. In Graphic Design, shapes can help organize content, make illustrations, or add detail to any work.
Geometric/Regular Shape
Geometric shapes, are mathematically calculated to have perfect measurement ratios throughout its enclosure (ex. square, circle, triangle, rectangle, octagon, etc.)
Geometric shapes can be used to create simplistic and visually-pleasing versions of any person, place, or thing.
Organic Shape
Organic shapes are non-perfect and free-form.
Organic shapes can always be broken down into several overlapping geometric shapes.
Form
Forms are the three-dimensional version of any given shape. Forms are created when light, shadow, and perception are added to create a notion of depth and a touch of realism.
Texture
Texture is the feel, appearance or consistancy of a surface. Texture can be implied through Graphic Design art with lines, shapes, and/or forms. Texture adds depth and tactility to images that would otherwise seem flat.
Balance
Balance is the equal distribution of visual weight on a physical or digital canvas. “Visual weight” consists of all the objects (lines, shapes, text) within a canvas space and their inherited properties (color, size, number). A project’s balance can also be affected by the negative space created in the presence of objects, such as, but not limited to, margins.
Negative/Blank/White Space
Negative space is the space that surrounds an object in a canvas which sometimes creates the illusion of other shapes.
More Obvious Examples
Below is a poster created by SANCCOB in an effort to save African penquins.
The graphic below was created by Israeli artist Noma Bar. Check out more of her work here!
This design was created by Christopher DeLorenzo. See similar works by other artists here!
Less Obvious, Yet Most Common Examples:
Margins found in books, magazines, and website layouts are some of the most common examples of negative space that we can interact with daily. While it seems simple in comparison to the examples above, it's a reminder that pleasant-looking layouts and designs are not difficult to construct once we pay attention to detail.
Rule of Thirds
Sometimes negative space is not equally distributed on a canvas, which if done correctly, can help give visual balance to a project. The Rule of Thirds establishes a pretend grid on a canvas made up of two equidistant horizontal lines and two equidistant vertical lines. If a subject is placed on one of the four intersections, the canvas can become balanced and more visually pleasing.
Minimalism (Very popular nowadays)
The limited use of colors and shapes to create a distinct and clean graphic.
1950s Coca Cola Ad Example:
1950s: Ad depicts people (particularly middle class white mother and her children), the product itself, typography (in a more curvy font), and many colors (more than 4). There is a sense of realism in the ad, and the target audience is obvious: white middle class families.
1990s Coca Cola Ad Example:
1990s: Ad depicts no people, just the product, as well as less type and color than the 1950s ad. There is still a sense of realism in the ad, but the target audience is more general with its lack of people in the ad.
2010s Coca Cola Ad Example:
2010s: Ad depicts no people, little type, and a new product. Colors are limited to two (red and white) The graphic is minimal compared to the 50s and 90s ad. Notice how the ad’s simplicity creates a more inclusive feel of who the product targets. It should also be mentioned that Coca-Cola’s iconic reputation and popularity allows it so that this minimalism is effective.
Raster Vs. Vector Images
Raster Images:
Raster images have a set number of pixels, and if expanded beyond their limits, these images become blurry or “pixelated”. The most popular example of raster images are photographs taken by cameras and the most common image formats include jpg, gif, png, tif, bmp, psd, eps and pdfs originating from raster programs.
Common raster programs are photo editing / paint programs such as Photoshop & Paint Shop, GIMP. Depending on the complexity of the image, conversion to a vector image is doable, but may be time consuming.
Why Is My Picture Blurry?!
Have you ever downloaded a small image file and increased its size only to realize it’s now blurry and unattractive? That’s because it had a low pixel count.
The higher the pixels, the larger the file. The lower the pixels, the smaller the file.
When downloading images from the web, aim to download the largest file possible to avoid any disappointment. It's always preferable to scale down than to scale up with raster images.
Vector Images:
Vector images are composed of paths through mathematical equations. This means they can be scaled up (or down) with no distortion because the mathematical calculations shift accordingly to maintain the image’s original look. This resolution-independence results in the ability to be printed at any size and resolution. Unlike raster images, vector graphic dimensions do not reflect their file size, meaning a very large vector image meant to be printed for a billboard can be saved as a very small file size in comparison.
Vector programs such as Adobe Illustrator are best for creating logos, drawings and illustrations, and for images that will be applied to physical products (ex. Mugs, stickers, etc.) The number of colors can easily be increase or reduced to adjust printing budgets. Common vector graphic file formats include ai, cdr, svg, and eps & pdfs originating from vector programs. Vector images can become raster images once saved as a jpeg or png.
Typography
Watch this Awesome Typography Video
Definition of Typography
The style or appearance of text; the art of working with text
Font Classifications
There are many types of font that exist! Some are better for print publication, while others are easier to read on screens. Every font carries a specific personality which should always be considered when using them for any project.
Serif
Serif fonts are type with "tails" on the ends of the letter. These fonts are most commonly used in print publications.
Sans-Serif
In French, sans means "without", so therefore, this type is without serifs. Sans-serif fonts are most common in digital publications as they are easier to read within a pixelated space. However, nowadays screens tend to have high resolution and so a "pixelated" space can often be avoided.
Display Fonts
While these fonts are very decorative and fun, they should be used sparingly as they can be very bold! Avoid using Display Fonts for paragraphs, but feel empowered to use them for one-line titles and headers. Just make sure they are legible and not too distracting.
Font Variations
A single font can vary drastically with changes to its size, weight, or style. Learning how to combine these variations of a single font can make any project stand out without the overwhelming sight of too many different fonts.
Size
Making text different sizes can help a reader navigate through a text space. Larger texts often signify greater importance and therefore are read first. Larger texts are usually used sparingly within a space of text in order not to overwhelm the reader. Titles are typically larger than header text, while header text are typically larger than paragraph text.
Weight
Making a text bolder gives it an extra bit of emphasis that helps the reader grasp its greater importance relevant to the text around it. Oftentimes, header texts tend to be bolder than paragraphs texts. Likewise, making a text lighter or thinner can help the reader navigate to that section later on and create more dimension within a design without making it too overwhelming.
Style
Giving certain sections of text a particular style allows an extra way to make them stand out within a crowd of words.
CAPITAL: All capitalized words evokes a sense of loudness, and hints at modern especially when used with sans-serif fonts. Titles are often, but not always, all capitalized within a graphic design project.
lowercase: While not grammatically correct, some graphic design pieces will have all text in lowercase. This often sends a modern tone or vibe to the artwork.
Mix of Captial aND loWerCAsE: Perhaps the most popular style to use for text, with the first character of a sentence capitalized; this often evokes a sense of formality and structure. However, if combined in an unorthodox way, the text may showcase a silly or unprofessional tone.
Underlined: Although not used very often, underlining text gives it an added sense of importance.
Italicized: Italicizing fonts often creates a sense of a passive voice, or a written version of someone’s thought. It is also used to identify titles of works such as those of books, newspapers, poems, academic journals, films, tv shows, albums, websites, etc.
Font Spacing
Most, if not all, of our experiences with kerning, leading, and tracking have been a positive one due to the digital products we use daily with default settings. Technology does all of the tedious work in character spacing for us! Can you imagine what it would be like if we had to do all of this manually?? On the other hand, hierarchy is something we are expected to do by ourselves, but changing the size, weight, and style isn’t so intimidating once we have the right references.
Kerning
The space between specific characters within a word. This varies over the course of the word. Some fonts may have bad kerning to begin with, so unless you want to fix every character manually, avoid using them. To practice your manual kerning skills, go play this game!
Leading
The space between lines of text (line spacing). Too much or too little spacing may create an unpleasant experience for the reader. Well-known examples of this to students are double-spacing essays for easier readability for the professors. Example: “Your essay must be five pages...double-spaced.”
Tracking
The overall spacing between characters (in a selected section of text). Often, increasing the overall spacing for a given section of text can make for an artistic styling, and can help distribute the visual weight in a project.
Hierarchy
Used to guide the reader’s eye to what’s most important. Often depicted through different fonts, size, weight, and style.
Type & Culture
The History of Typography
Depending on the decade, certain Type and Font were more popular than others. Looking back at ads, books, and posters, we can see trends in Typography.
A Database on Typography Trends
The website below is an awesome resource to identify fonts within different projects and publications! If you enter a certain decade within the search bar, it will show all of the items that have such decade tagged (for example, search "1970s") Click on the image below or here to go to the site!
Nowadays, Minimalism in text/type is most popular, as it provides a clean, modern, and more approachable feel to any graphic design project. Minimalism in type refers to 1-2 fonts per project and less amount of text within the canvas space.
Choice In Font Makes All The Difference!
Remember: finding the right type of text for your project is crucial in its presentation. Using a font that is inconsistent with your project’s mission can reveal a different message than what was intended.
For example, using a Curlz font for your dissertation might send an unprofessional message, no matter how rich your content is with academic knowledge. Likewise, using Arial font for a 4-year-old birthday party invite might send a "low-fun" vibe.
Avoid perpetuating stereotypical representations of communities and identities through distasteful fonts or fonts that seem representative of a demographic of people.
Example: Using a “Taco” Font for anything deemed a Mexican or Latinx culture
Example: The use of Chinese characters for everything involving Asian, Asian-American, and/or Pacific Islander cultures. This only groups together many varying cultures into one, which is detrimental to communitites.
Are you wanting a greater variety of fonts to work with? Free fonts are available at the following websites to download:
Less is more! The grand majority of graphic design pieces today stand out because of their visual simplicity. Unless it ties in with a greater theme, it is often more significant to have a small amount of key text within a graphic design piece than to have larger paragraphs full of filler text.
Limit your projects to 1-2 fonts, but always remember that differing size, weight, style, and spacing of a single font can give a project just enough variation without being too overwhelming.
Avoid overcrowding your Graphic Design piece with text, unless it is vital information and has a stylistic effect to it.
Fun (and Maybe Overwhelming) Knowledge: The Anatomy of a Character
Remember that at some point, someone CREATED by hand the font Times New Roman that we take for granted today (along with all other fonts). There is a special intricacy and detail-orientedness that goes into developing fonts.
VOCABULARY:
Arm/leg – An upper or lower (horizontal or diagonal) stroke that is attached on one end and free on the other.
Ascender – The part of a lowercase character (b, d, f, h, k, l, t) that extends above the x-height
Cross-Bar – The horizontal stroke in characters such as A, H, R, e, and f
Bowl – A curved stroke which creates an enclosed space within a character (the space is then called a counter)
Cap Height – The height of capital letters from the baseline to the top of caps, most accurately measured on a character with a flat bottom (E, H, I, etc.)
Counter – The partially or fully enclosed space within a character
Descender – The part of a character (g, j, p, q, y, and sometimes J) that descends below the baseline
Ear – The small stroke that projects from the top of the lowercase g
Loop – The lower portion of the lowercase g
Neck – The stroke that connects the top and bottom part (bowl and loop) of a two–story lowercase g
Serif – The projections extending off the main strokes of the characters of serif typefaces. Serifs come in two styles: bracketed and unbracketed. Brackets are the supportive curves which connect the serif to the stroke. Unbracketed serifs are attached sharply, and usually at 90 degree angles
Shoulder – The curved stroke of the h, m, n
Spine – The main curved stroke of the S
Spur – A small projection off a main stroke found on many capital Gs
Stem – A straight vertical stroke (or the main straight diagonal stroke in a letter which has no verticals)
Stress – The direction of thickening in a curved stroke
Stroke – A straight or curved line
Swash – A fancy flourish replacing a terminal or serif
Tail – The descender of a Q or short diagonal stroke of an R
Terminal – The end of a stroke not terminated with a serif
X-height – The height of lowercase letters, specifically the lowercase x, not including ascenders and descenders
Adobe Illustrator Project: A Bold Message!
Use the PDF file titled GD-typography-project-guide to create a bold messsage using downloaded fonts and changing the size, tracking, and leading of the fonts in Illustrator!
